Mike Tannenbaum said Tuesday that it was his idea to bring Tim Tebow to the New York Jets last year.

Tannenbaum, who was fired as the Jets' general manager earlier this month, told ESPNNewYork.com that he had no regrets about trading two draft picks to the Denver Broncos for a quarterback who was seldom used in 2012.

"It's just a trade that didn't work out," Tannenbaum told reporter Rich Cimini. "Each year, we'll make 200-plus transactions. Some worked out, some didn't."

Tannenbaum also rebutted earlier reports that Jets owner Woody Johnson pressured him to bring in Tebow. Tannenbaum told ESPNNewYork.com that he saw Tebow as a good replacement for Brad Smith, who was used in the Wildcat and was also a passing, receiving and special teams threat.

"We thought there was a role for him," Tannenbaum told Cimini. "Working with (coach) Rex (Ryan) every day, and seeing the way the league has evolved with the ball being in the quarterback's hands and making plays with your feet, we thought it would give us a chance to make our offense more dynamic. It just didn't work out that way."

Tebow briefly competed with Mark Sanchez for the starting job, but it quickly became clear to the coaching staff that Sanchez was the team’s best option. Tebow then played little in the Wildcat under former offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. For the season, Tebow participated in just 75 plays from scrimmage, or slightly more than an average game's worth. His special teams work was as a protector on the punt team.

The Jets, now under new general manager John Idzik, are expected to let Tebow go in the offseason.